


A cup of sugar

by Arckee



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: But It's Fluffy, F/F, Fluffy Time, I promise, SuperCorp, Supergirl Secret Santa Femslash Exchange 2020, i mentioned sugar way too many times, it's fluffy, so that's fair, this was an excuse to use every possible christmas trope out there, with only a smallest dash of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:21:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28206771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arckee/pseuds/Arckee
Summary: Kara asks for a cup of sugar and obtains much more.orFor the prompt 'Neighbours/living in the same building during Christmas time'
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 13
Kudos: 138
Collections: Supergirl Femslash Secret Santa 2020





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [takarter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/takarter/gifts).



> Hi @takarter! I'm your Supercorp Secret Santa!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this, I had tons of fun writing it. Thank you for your prompt - which gave me the chance to try something new. Something relaxing and sweet and short. Hopefully you'll like it! :)
> 
> And Merry Christmas!

  
"She might be a cat lady."

"But I never saw a cat," Kara hums a reply to her sister's grunting. Balanced on a rickety ladder, Alex struggles with a hefty trail of tinsel, the sparkling colours of plastic wound around her neck and shoulders.

"Well, there was that one time where Streaky wandered to her balcony and she was there watering a cyclamen. She didn't seem to mind him but..." Kara trails off, words swallowed by a muffled crunching.

She can feel Alex's unimpressed glare directed at the wall, "Yes, but you never stepped a foot inside her apartment, so everything is still possible. For all we know, she could be herding a room of wonderful and fluffy kittens?"

Tucked inside the tinsel box, Streaky chirrups indignantly, snout full of green plastic and flicking feelers.

"You're still my favourite, Streaky."

The cat meows weakly in her direction, satisfied by the lazy mollification. He circles around his feet once, sniffing for the best corner to settle into. But before he can disappear under the rim of the cardboard box, his eyes zero in on a shining red baubel that's laying forgotten on the floor.

"I don't know," Kara ponders, watching the box of tinsels tip over from Streaky's agile jump in a waterfall of glitter and fake pine needles. He paws at the decoration sceptically before giving it chase when the baubel inevitably rolls away, "She's out late most nights anyway, so having a pet seems pretty unlikely."

Alex pins the first section of the tinsel to the wall with an elated breath, "And you would know everything about her coming home late, uh?"

A rapid beat passes as Alex unfurls another section of tinsel around her forearm. Kara looks up from her hands, squints at the back of her sister's head, "What?"

"When you bring back her cu- Hey!"

Kara freezes at Alex's sudden outburst, her sister twisting forcefully in her direction, half perched on the steps.

"Stop eating those cookies!" Alex hisses, ladder creaking dangerously.

"I'm not eating anything!" Kara blurts, motioning to an empty bag of glaze.

Alex releases a frustrated noise from the back of her throat as she climbs down, letting the tinsel fall to the floor with a rustle, "You're supposed to frost the cookies, not eat them!"

"I am!" Kara protests, palms displayed in front of her. There's smeared icing on both her thumbs from her failed attempts of straightening awkward frosting.

"I can see the crumbles. On your shirt."

True enough, there's a traitorous trail of crumbled brown over the vibrant red of her sweater. 

Kara merely shrugs, mirth dancing on her lips. "Well, somebody had to do a quality test." 

Alex pokes her side once, drawing an offended huff, "One cookie was more than enough. Not _one_ dozen."

Unashamedly, Kara plucks another one from an half iced tray, a crooked snowman that's missing a hat, "I can't help if they are too good. It's like they are begging me to eat them. See?" she nods before proceeding to devour the entire cookie in a single bite.

Alex's frown deepens, but the effect of her glare is diminished by the glitter from the tinsel that peppers both her cheeks and nose.

With a small grin, Kara twirls on her feet to check on the last batch of cookies, still cooking in the oven. They are moments away from the perfect golden shade.

"I see you didn't spare any."

Spread around the counter, trays of varying size host uneven batches of cookies, some glazed and other chocolate flavoured. Slightly burnt on the underside of crooked shapes of Christmas trees. Kara's traces of munching are clearly visible in the crinkles of the greaseproof paper.

The loud ringing of the timer draws an annoyed meow from Streaky, tucked somewhere under the sofa. Kara twists a couple of knobs on the panel before opening the oven, a cloud of steam mussing her hair and clouding her glasses. Kara pushes the thick frame over her forehead before reaching for the hot tray inside the oven with her bare hands.

Alex barely spares her a gaze, too busy scouring the fridge for something to drink. But when Kara refrains from stealing another cookie from the new batch, she raises one quizzing eyebrow, "Aren't you going to eat those?"

Kara halts her picking of fallen crumbs to shoot her a cheeky grin, "These are vegan," her nose scrunches up, "For _Maggie_."

With a miffed huff, Alex sticks her head back inside the fridge to hide the pepper of red sprayed on her cheeks. She resurfaces a moment later behind the notes of Kara's lingering chuckles.

"I see how it is," Alex curls, hip checking the fridge door to close it, "You bribe me to your apartment to make me do all the hard work, while you happily munch your way through half decent baked goods."

Kara's miffed "Hey!" gets shuffled in the collapse of noise from Streaky as the cat decides to make his entrance by leaping on the counter for some 'knocking random stuff off the table'. Kara circles around the kitchen to herd him away, a chocolate chipped cookie held between her thumb and forefinger.

"You're the one who can actually fly, so I don't even understand why I have to climb this ladder to fix some decorations."

Kara bats Alex's threatening wrist away, fingertips sticky with melted sugar.

"What do you have to say in your defense?"

Streaky's escape finishes in Alex's calf, as the cat hides his snout against her warm leg, nuzzling insistently the worn fabric of her black jeans. Kara fumbles on her feet at the sudden stop, fiddling with her glasses to escape her sister's wrath.

"Uh," she hesitates, "Because you are better than me and you love me?"

The intensity of her sister's stance doesn't dim.

"At least I hope?" she mutters, lip curling in a childish pout.

Alex snorts, facade crumbling, "Yeah."

And before Kara's grin can brighten, Alex snatches the cookie in her grip to inhale it in the span of a blink.

"Hey!"

  
+++++

  
Kara gathers her courage under the chewed edge of her nails and pushes her thumb on the doorbell. The cranky lighting of the hallway can't hide the excited thrumming that's coursing through her veins, pooling in her belly.

The pale door in front of her opens quietly to reveal a waterfall of black and Lena emerges from its belly in a shuffling of fumbling steps and bleary eyes. Her mouth stretches in a sleepy smile when she recognizes her. 

"Good morning, Kara," she says, and it's enough to send Kara's heart in a burst of flips and dives in the middle of her chest.

Caught in the morning dew, Lena looks impossibly dazzling, donning a creamy robe over a forest green shirt. The white of her contour is a soft looking material that drapes down her figure past her calves, until it reaches the floor in cloudy waves. Somehow she's stylish even this loose, and Kara's brain immediately pictures the frayed hem of her duck printed blanket, the one she likes to throw over her shoulders during cozy winter mornings.

She's also barefoot, so Lena has to tilt her head slightly upwards to meet Kara's gaze, green eyes open and crinkling.

"Good- good morning, Lena!" Kara blurts with a bright smile, loud voice cracking in the middle at the loud volume. She wills her head not to duck even when she feels blood rushing to her cheeks. She straightens a little, brushing one hand through her hair, only for it to tangle slightly in the same knots she forgot to comb the same morning in her rush to Lena's door.

Lena lets out a single huff of laughter, the musicality of her mirth a pleasant hum to Kara's ears, "How can I help you today? Did you forget to buy sugar again?"

The amusement in her voice lures another of Kara's smiles out of their nest.

"Um, yeah," she laughs and her words fall clumsily from her lips, "Guess I always seem to get distracted by something else..."

Lena's eyes shine kindly and this time Kara has to duck her head with a shy tilt of her lips.

"Give me a second."

Lena turns to head back inside her apartment and Kara watches the dainty movements of her bare ankles among the flutter of the white robe before she disappears behind a corner. Then the world rights itself in an instant and Kara snaps herself out of the haze, eyes flicking upwards immediately, towards the usual glimpse of Lena's apartment.

Left alone, Kara swallows back a groan, a rupture of embarrassment. She rubs at the back of her neck, feeling the prickling sensation creep hotly over her skin.

The low burning in her belly is a familiar companion to her biweekly trips to Lena's door, which play out in roughly the same scenario. Kara always opens the scene with a smile, proceeds by making a fool of herself and then, in the final act of her awkward performance, she receives a cup of sugar for all her fumbling. On the lucky days, she is able to score a good joke and be rewarded with Lena's unrestrained chuckles.

A tendril of morning grey light laps at the door's shadow, the promise of snow on a winter day. 

Kara takes a deep breath, searching for her lost footing.

There's a new book on the corner of Lena's sofa, thrown open facing down over the cushions. The forest green of the bookbinding is a stark contrast to the grey accents of the room, the book's spine littered with golden letters. She can't make out the title this far. 

She cranes her neck further inside to take a more thorough glimpse, looking for the traces of a cat's presence or some other form of pet.

The ruffling of a crumpling paper bag steals her attention and she waits for the opaqued sound of Lena's footsteps against the floor to straighten her slouched figure.

Lena reappears in the doorway with a smile, "There you go," she says and passes a cup full of sugar in Kara's waiting hands.

It's the green cup, the one dotted with swirling splotches of blue paint. It vaguely looks handpainted, in those adorable clumsy strokes that can only belong to a child.

"You're a lifesaver," Kara releases a relieved breath, burying her grateful smile over the edge of the cup.

"It's just a little bit of sugar," Lena shrugs, but doesn't quite manage to hide the little grin playing on her lips.

"Well, tell that to my cookies," Kara muses, "Thank you, Lena. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Eat a bunch of bland cookies, I imagine."

"Balance between sugar and milk is paramount in achieving the perfect cookie. Every recipe says so."

"I'll take your word for it." Lena hums an unconvinced agreement that has Kara furrowing her brows playfully at her. 

"I'll let you know that I take my food quite seriously, Lena. Especially the sweet kind," she pauses to huff at one bang of unruly hair that's dangling over her face. She could free one hand from the tight grip around the cup, but she doesn't trust her nerves with its safety when she's only using one hand.

"Anyway, thanks again. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"Just bring me some of those perfectly balanced cookies and we'll call it even." Lena shrugs again, the slope of her shoulders loose.

"I'll do my best to save them from my sister's hunger."

Lena raises one eyebrow at her, "Something tells me I should fear another Danvers in the fight for leftover cookies, if all yours food related stories had taught me something."

Kara's face scrunches into a pout to hide the reddening of her cheeks, playfulness pooling in the corners of her smile.

She takes a moment to soak in the unrestrained music of Lena's laughter, the scrunched dimples of fluttering joy, the crinkling of Lena's forest eyes, leaves teased by the rustling breeze. Kara's heart tumbles, knowing she's the reason behind Lena's reaction.

When Lena's chuckle quiesces after a beat, Kara settles back on her feet hesitantly, resisting the rising urge to frown.

She can feels the familiar chasm forming between them, tugging at their sides. It's the familiar hiccuping halt that each of their conversations inevitably reaches. It feels more like a stubborn wall, when it should be an easy leap to make.

There are words lodged in her throats - the offer for a lunch, a movie night together, a simple invitation to hang out together - words she can't seem to dislodge from their coves. But before she can shoo away the cobwebs on her vocal chords, she's already a beat too late, and the moment has slipped between her fingers.

She doesn't have a reason to drag her feet any longer, so she settles for fiddling with her glasses. She tightens the hold around the mug's handle, feels the sugar crystals slide over each other.

"Thank you again, Lena. I'll be back with your cup soon."

"Take your time," waving a dismissive hand, Lena's words acquire an airy tilt, "Have a nice day, Kara."

Kara smiles all the way to her apartment, exactly one door over. When she turns back on her doorstep, she finds Lena is still lingering. With a blush, Kara raises one hand in her direction, palm full of jingling keys.

She closes the door with the gentlest click of the lock.

Kara hovers slightly to reach for a small cabinet over the fridge, a small neat corner tucked between the mess of her kitchen. She casually flings it open and proceeds to pour the cup of sugar inside a hefty brown bag. The waterfall of minute crystals lands on a growing pile of sugar, already stacked away from countless cups religiously poured twice a week.

Sighing, Kara trails lazily in her living room, caught in the throes of a lazy Sunday. She hums under her breath a festive song, the upbeat melody of her rumbling heart, that's still spinning and twirling inside her.

She takes in the disarray of her living room, laptop half closed and dark, a couple of magazines folded under dirty paintbrushes. There's a brown circle over one article, the wet imprint of a forgotten mug of coffee. Curled in his spot beneath the window, Streaky's feline ears flicker in his sleep, a lazy pattern of sensations and excitement.

Kara takes a deep breath, cherishing the feeling of exhilaration that's drumming through her veins.

Air plunges deep in her lungs, and she lets herself feel the expansion and dilation of her lungs and Streaky lifts his snout at the movement. The sunlight filtering through the window creates an umbrella of bright morning light. The thought blinks in her brain like the rotating blink of a lighthouse.

"I could have asked about her new book! Or about the cookies or-or... ugh!"

She throws herself dramatically backwards on the sofa and spends the minutes with her face buried in the crease of a pillow, the perfect place to cover her frown. Another sigh pushes past her lips.

"How hard can it be?"

Streaky flicks his tail once and then curls again around himself, nested in his cocoon of blankets and disappointment for her failure.

  
++++++

  
"Hold the door!"

Kara's hand startles with the jerk of a motion. She reaches immediately for the elevator's panel relying only on instinct - and a dash of super speed. The photocell perceives the obstacle in time for the elevator door to open again with a silent hiss. 

"Got it!" Kara calls back and pokes her head out, searching for the voice's owner over the foggy rim of her glasses, still clouded from the blast of warmth coming from the inside of the building.

She can't see much more than polished floor and the insistent tug of the cold winter night on the entrance door. A lonely wreath hangs over the letterbox, threadbare and dull under the artificial lights of the lobby. Next year, she'll have to remember to spare some of her own decorations for the place.

The elevator doors shift, threatening to close on her again. Shrugging, Kara steps back, hiding in the opaque nook of the elevator to glance at the crooked four on the elevator panel, the number of her floor.

"Wait!" the voice barks again and this time the disembodied plea is matched by a small figure, a bundle of layers and coat that springs up from behind a pillar.

It's Lena, forearms laden with heavy bags.

Kara takes a brief look at her. With the collar peeking from the folds of her scarf, Lena looks positively adorable, cheeks flushed from the biting cold. Kara forces her brain to restart, kicking into motion the sudden surprise of her limbs. She gets tangled in her feet and stumbles in the small gap of the elevator as she trudges forward the panel again. A moment later, the soft ding that signals closing doors reaches her ears and the elevator starts its journey without her.

The light on top of the elevator slides over the number one before Kara is able to stammer few disjointed words together.

"Lena! Hi..."

Lena's dishevelled expression melts away into stunned surprise, "I didn't mean you had to step off the elevator."

The usual healthy blush she can't seem to dispel in Lena's presence rises to Kara's cheeks. She sure blushes a lot around her.

"It was, uh, a reflex."

"Stepping off?" Kara ducks her head at Lena's single raised eyebrow. She feels Lena follow the movement, chasing her eyes as they fix on the tip of her winter shoes. 

"And let me guess," Lena continues without missing a beat, struggling to push the elevator button with a bent elbow, "If I were to look through your bags, would I find some sugar?"

Kara tries to quell the sudden chuckle as her hand circles instinctively around the handle of her jute shopping bag.

"Probably not. But you'd surely find a lot of chips. Candy and sodas of all sorts. Some chocolate... milk... I went out to get some in the first place, since my sister wanted a hot chocolate," Kara swings the bag, listens to its contents sloshing around, "I got just a little bit sidetracked."

"Definitely a lot of greens in there."

"Nobody likes vegetables," Kara replies, an inch of playful stubbornness laced in her tone, "But... I did end up buying a tea sampler and a bag of green apples."

"To make up for all the sugar?" Lena chuckles as she eyes the bag of apples. She sways on her feet a little, lifting a brown bag higher on her shoulder.

Kara smiles, a goofy crooked smile, while cherishing in Lena's laughter, loud and bright in the empty entrance. The cold light shines down on them, pausing on their floor number for a brief moment. But instead of going back down towards the ground floor, the elevator number keeps blinking while growing steadily.

"Guess somebody called it first," Kara says and Lena's groan brings another ruffle to her lips, "We could always take the stairs?" she suggests.

"Four floors with these?" Lena grouses, letting the bags slump on the polished floor, "Hard pass."

Kara squints at the bags, annoyed at the lingering condense that sticks to her glasses.

The minutest sigh escapes Lena's lips, "But you can go on, if you want. Be my guest," she says and motions blindly behind her with one hand, in direction of the stairs.

Kara's mind flashes immediately with the image of Alex, waiting for her hot chocolate four floors above them.

"It's okay, I don't mind waiting with you for the next ride," Kara scrunches her nose to push her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose, "And it's kind of my fault you missed the elevator, so I guess it's fair if I wait here, too."

"You won't hear me complaining, then."

Kara smiles, shrugs and smiles again, "I see you're putting up some decorations." Her hands gestures weirdly to the floor, caught between Lena's uncomfortable heels and the trail of glitter leaking from her bag.

"I am," Lena confirms, shaking the bag that's still dangling from her shoulder. Kara watches as her lips curl at the sound of clinking baubels, "I've fallen a bit behind schedule this year, with December creeping up on me so suddenly, but even I couldn't give up on a few decorations."

"Preparing for Christmas?" Kara's smile widens impossibly, secretly thrilled at this new crumble of information about Lena.

"Yes..." Lena scrubs at the floor with the sole of her boot, a bashful expression crossing her eyes, "You could probably say it's my favourite holiday."

The number blinking over them pauses meaningfully for a moment as the elevator finally inverts its direction with a soft whir, traveling back down towards them.

"What about you?" Lena turns slightly in her direction, "Do you celebrate Christmas?"

“I do, mixed in with Hanukkah celebrations. My adopted family is Jewish, but most of our friends celebrate Christmas. I always host a yearly party at my place, some sort of get together on Christmas Eve. Just to celebrate, with friends and family," Kara explains, noticing the question rising in Lena's eyes, "I got adopted when I was thirteen, but I never converted. I grew up on a different set of beliefs... very different, from a foreign country, far from here and-" the discomfort of those familiar lies seeps like poison in her belly, but Kara shakes her head against the sourness.

Lena offers an encouraging nod, catching the tail of Kara's ramble, "And I've always liked the idea of the holiday. I didn't have something like that, back at- back in my country. And. Giving each other gifts, appreciating each other. Spending the day together. Eating cookies!" Kara pauses to wiggle her eyebrows jokingly at Lena, and Kara's proud when that draws another giggle from her.

The pinging of the incoming elevator halts their conversation, and they clear the way for an elder gentleman, who nods at them with a pleasant smile. Lena offers him a quiet murmur of 'Merry Christmas' from the folds of her scarf.

Using her moment of brief distraction, Kara snatches all of Lena's bags and bolts on the elevator before her companion notices.

"Kara!" Lena protests, but there's a smile in her voice.

Kara grins cheekily at her distorted reflection as she feints a little staggering under what's supposed to be heavy bags. Lena's stare is gently teasing as she joins her on the wobbly ride, looking both amused and surprised.

Lena thumbs the button for their floor and Kara twists her hands further around the bags' handles, lest she does something stupid like reaching for the floor button at the same time as Lena and making their hands brush. The tip of her ears grow hot at the lone thought.

The elevator jerks into motion unexpectedly.

"So, Lena," Kara mentally counts to three to rifle through potentially dumb questions, "What do you do in your life? Apart from saving damsels in distress who are always low on sugar?"

Lena's huff of laughter settles proudly in Kara's chest, "I work in a tech corporation. I'm probably the one with googles and a lab coat fiddling with stuff that's pretty likely to catch fire."

Like a dreaded timer of their dwindling shared time, the elevator reaches the first floor as Kara struggles to banish the cute picture of a goggle wearing Lena from her head in time to catch Lena's follow up question about her own job. 

"Oh, I-I've been working at CatCo for the last years."

"Are you a reporter?"

"Oh golly. No, I'm not," she releases a breathy chuckle, "Maybe one day, but not yet."

Lena's eyebrow rises like the floor number, "You could have fooled me."

Kara blushes again, trying and failing spectacularly not to read it as a compliment, "Well, I- I'm actually an assistant. Cat Grant's assistant. You might have heard about her."

"Cat Grant? That Cat Grant? The mogul of all media in National City?" Lena teases as the elevator stops at their floor with a ding, "I might spend most of my time holed up at my work station, but I don't live under a rock. Of course I know her and, wow Kara, that's impressive. I've even met her, once." 

Kara adjusts her grip on Lena's bags, "You did? And what did you think of her?"

Lena ponders her words for a moment as she follows Kara in the hallway, "She's a bit... prickly."

Kara agrees with a flick of her fingers and a poorly hidden laughter, "Miss Grant is definitely an acquired taste."

Lena's eyes widen in genuine interest, "How long have you been her assistant?" she asks as she dips her elbow under the rim of her designer handbag.

"A couple of years, more or less. Since I moved here in National City."

Lena's reply gets lost in the wooden echo of her creaking door, as Kara lingers behind at the doorway. She lets the conversation fall apart easily, with a small dash of awkward hinting and hesitance.

Lena accepts the bags from her hands with a smile. "Well, thank you for your help, Kara."

"No biggie." Rao, who says 'no biggie' anymore?

Thankfully, Lena's grin doesn't fade, "Hopefully I'll see you soon?"

Nodding back enthusiastically, Kara cherishes in the hope and the happiness mingling in her chest at Lena's words.

  
+++++

  
Kara folds her thumb over the rim of the cup, knuckles brushing the uneven surface.

The hallway is mottled with speckles of darkness, the grey spots that can't be reached by the shivering light coming from the dusty skylights. Kara counts the steps in her mind, measuring the distance while her other hand lingers on the wall. The watch on her wrist is slowly racing towards nine.

But as she gets closer to Lena's apartment, part of her excitement dims, the evening pallor of a diving sun. Silence greets her behind the closed door, stillness rooted deep within Lena's apartment, bare of her presence despite the haze of the late hour. Kara dips her head forward with a wary exhale.

It's not unusual for Lena not to be in her apartment during weekdays, despite the late hour. Kara pictures her elegant profile in the shadows of some classy restaurant, sipping at sophisticated wine and having dinner with friends.

She can't help the small smile dancing on her lips at the thought of a happy Lena. She cradles the cup higher on her chest, invigorated by the picture. She places the empty green cup carefully in front of the door, mindful of its cushioned clink on the doormat. 

She sighs once before walking back to her own apartment, head lost into the clouds of her next encounter with Lena. Maybe she'll bump into her on her way to work, or between the aisles of a grocery store.

Maybe she'll have to ask her another cup of sugar. Again.

  
+++++

  
Alex's forehead smacks against the paper decorations strung low across Kara's living room.

"Careful! I made those myself!" Kara chides her from her seat at the counter, where she's lazily tapping at her laptop. She's scrolling through the CatCo twitter feed, bored out of her mind, since there's so much patrolling she can do before J'onn kicks her out of the DEO for the day.

"Of course you did."

Kara blinks at her suspiciously, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Alex says, poking Kara's nose on her way to the counter. 

Kara sticks her tongue out as her sister slumps in the seat next to hers. 

They let the cozy smell of warm bread and chocolate envelop their cocoon of familiarity, a slow rhythm in the frenzy of the upcoming Christmas celebrations.

As she's clicking through the last few slides of a gallery of James' pictures, a small grin appears on Kara's lips. "Soooo," she drawls obnoxiously, stealing Alex's attention. Her sister is staring intently at a bottle of water, speckles of light scattered among the bubbles, "Did you invite Maggie to our party?"

With a pointed glare, Alex flicks the bottle cap at Kara, who catches it with ease while rolling her eyes.

"You'll have to bring along your girlfriend too, or I won't be able to get Eliza's teasing off my back"

"Lena isn't my girlfriend!"

Alex falls dangerously silent for a beat as Kara's words register inside her brain. 

"Woah, woah. I never said anything about Lena, Kara," Alex's grin grows like a Cheshire Cat, "But I wonder, why would you ever think about her in the first place?"

Kara blinks and blushes, drapes herself lower on the counter, slumping in her seat to flee Alex's knowing grin.

Alex doesn't relent in her teasing, "You know, you could ask her out, if only you decided to talk to her for something more than three words mixed together at random. Maybe talk to her about something else than sugar? Just an idea."

Kara merely tips her head back to groan.

"Do you know if she has any plans for Christmas Eve?"

"I don't, but I can't exactly-"

"Sure you can. Don't you see? It's your perfect opportunity," Alex urges her gamely, "Ask her to come to our Christmas party. You know mom is cool with this sort of things. She won't mind having another guest. Because of you it has become a new Christmas tradition, bringing home strays for the holidays with fractured souls."

"Alex..." Kara whines, but playfully wrinkles her nose at her.

She understands Alex's logic. Growing up with the Danvers, Christmas had always been more about celebrating together, rather than an upholding of stiff traditions with estranged relatives. Krypton didn't really have an analogue to Christmas celebrations, so the holiday had felt aching at first, when Kara was still a teenager, lost and alone in this loud and strange world. But as she grew older, she was won over by the importance of the moment as a family and by the alluring perspective celebrating together.

"I don't know," she munches on her words, gripping to the last crumble of hesitance with both hands, "She probably has something else to do."

"You won't know until you ask," Alex insists, "Worst case scenario, she tells you she's busy and asks for a raincheck."

"But-"

"Ooor, best case scenario, she's free and she comes over."

Kara chuffs, but remains still.

"So, what do you say?"

"I hate it when you try to be logical."

"Aw, I love you too."

  
+++++

  
"Streaky?"

She tosses the cushions of the sofa around, making sure the cat isn't snuggled in its folds. She hooks one hand under the sofa to lift it over her head and look underneath.

"Streaky? Where are you?"

She's already checked his nest of blankets, his climbing station and even his favourite sink in the bathroom, but her cat is nowhere to be found.

She glances at the hours on her wrist with a grimace. To be fair, she did plan on being late right from the start, but not _this_ late.

She scans the entire apartment with her x-ray vision, without luck.

"Streaky?" she calls, mouth molding in a cross between exasperation and worry. She unlatches the door leading to her balcony, the last place to be checked. A wave of freezing cold invests her as she steps out in the brisk evening, the kind of weather that makes her long for a hot chocolate and a huge blanket made of thick wool. The dwindling lights of the city welcome her as usual, but there's still no sign of her cat.

"Streaky?" she tries again, hesitantly.

"Meow."

"Streaky!"

The roll of the sound comes from her far right, a little further than usual. Turning, her eyes travel further than the confines of her own balcony, until they reach the neighbour's. Streaky meows again as she finally spots him. He's nestled in Lena's lap, busy kneading the top of her thighs.

"Lena!"

Her neighbour is sitting in a long chaise, engulfed by many blankets of mismatching colours and patterns. An empty glass of wine rests on a low table next to her, well within her reach. She crosses her legs at the ankles as she meets Kara's stare.

"Good evening, Kara," Lena offers her a crooked and genuine smile as Kara's heart soars at the surprise, "I believe I have found your cat?"

Kara's gaze trails over to her pet, as Streaky's head droops further against Lena's chest, eyes closing under Lena's gentle ministrations, "Streaky."

"It's not the first time he ventures on my balcony, did you know?" Lena's words are swallowed by a yawn and she rubs at the tears forming in her eyes, blinking sleepily.

A bubble rushes up in her throat and Kara has to pause at the contagious urge to yawn back. Lena's lips curl up a little at the corners.

"I'm sorry," Kara says, tongue brushing the thick feeling in her palate, "If he caused you any troubles."

"No, no. He's been really nice. Asking for lots of cuddles. Being warm and sleepy. Doing cat things, I imagine."

"That's surprising, actually," Kara continues, leaning lazily over the railing, "Streaky doesn't really like strangers. It's weird seeing him so comfortable around you."

"Really?"

"Really. It took him weeks before he let Alex come close, let alone being petted by him." Kara smiles and crosses her arms at the wrists, "You must be quite special."

Lena lowers her eyes to her lap, biting her lip to hide a smile. 

Truth to be told, Streaky is probably the friendliest cat on the whole planet. He rubs and purrs to anyone in his vicinity, capable of loving a stranger simply for existing. Kara had seen him try to convince the shadows under the sofa to pet him.

It's a white lie Kara loves to tell, if only to make Lena feel a little better about herself. 

"How did you meet him?"

"Streaky?" Kara settles in a more relaxed position, easing the weight on her elbows, "Somebody had abandoned him in an alley behind my favourite chinese restaurant. He was just a kitten, so I couldn't simply leave him. So I took him to my house and he's been with me since then."

Lena tears her focus from the black shape in her lap to stare at Kara in wonder, "He couldn't have found himself a better home." 

It's Kara's turn to dip her head, a faint speckle of redness dusting her cheeks.

Streaky exploits the moment to steals Lena's attention again, bumping his head against her chest. Kara pauses for a moment to consider her situation. With Lena out there, she can't exactly fly over the divider for the balcony and retrieve her cat.

A stifled sound from Lena breaks her trail of thoughts, "Are you going somewhere, Kara?"

Kara looks down at the violet hues of her dress and at the pattern of sinewy green flowers winding down the fabric at her sides.

("Blue," Alex says, pointing to the nicely cut blouse that's hanging on Kara's other forearm, "That purple dress looks good, but you always should go with blue if it's a date.")

"Oh, yeah. I actually have a... date."

Lena manages a dry tone, "Don't you sound enthusiastic."

"Yeah..." Kara chuckles lightly, "I'm not exactly looking forward to this particular date."

"And why is that?" Lena's purr blends in with Streaky pleased noises. 

"Ugh," Kara sighs and slumps down on her own long chaise heavily, "He's been asking me out for ages, and I kept turning him down because he's... not my type?"

"Mh," Lena pauses to swallow another yawn, "And what would that be, your type?"

Kara takes a moment to answer, thinking deeply, "I'm not sure. It has to be someone I click with, I imagine. Someone I would gladly meet at the end of the day, even for a tired minute," the city lights swim in her vision, "And not the... jerk type."

"So why go out with him in the first place?" a weird edge of Lena's voice rings in Kara's low spine.

Kara huffs and stretches, thinking again about what answer she would want to give Lena. A gust of cold wind cuts the air and she sees Lena shiver in her bundle, tugging her blanket closer as she's hit by the chill of the night. Kara vaguely remembers she's supposed to feel cold, so she drapes her own threadbare blanket over her shoulders.

"He kept asking me for days, I guess the least I could do is give him a chance. He's dedicated, at least."

Lena's mouth twists, "You're not supposed to think like that."

"I know," Kara concedes a tired sigh, "I know I'm not responsible for anyone's feelings, but mine. I don't know why I said yes in the first place. Plus my recent dating streak has been... eh, difficult recently, and maybe going out at least this time wouldn't hurt."

"Haven't met the person of your dreams?" Lena's tone is teasing, all teeth.

"More like I'm not brave enough to actually talk to my crush."

But before Lena can elaborate on that, a loud ringing pierces the air, the shrill noise of an incoming phone call that rises from Kara's pocket. Streaky mewls his displeasure while hiding in the folds of Lena's blankets.

"Speaking of which. I should really get going," she gives a quick glance in Streaky's direction, blissfully nestled under Lena's gentle petting. Until now, Kara had never understood how someone could be jealous of her own cat. 

"Do you think you could... nudge him this way? I don't want to leave him locked outside while I'm out."

"Oh. How do I-" Lena makes some weird gesture, and stops petting him. Streaky lifts his snout with a disgruntled ruffle, swats at Lena's arms with his paw, eyes half closed.

"He's asking for more cuddles."

Lena jerks, panicky for a moment. 

"It's gonna be impossible to pawn him off of you. Streaky, I really have to go, come on." Kara says, edging closer to the division between the two balconies.

"He knows you don't really want to go," Lena's smile turns sardonic as she succumbs to Streaky's request for more cuddles.

"Yeah, probably. That cat is too smart for his own good."

Lena pets him a little bit more and Kara picks up with her super hearing the minute shift in Streaky's purring melody, a sure signal of him falling asleep. "Why don't you just leave him here with me? I can look after him, no problem. I never had an official cat, but I think I can manage for one evening." Lena proposes, looking up from her lap, "When you come home unlock your balcony door. I'm sure he'll let himself inside whenever he wants."

Kara tries a half baked noise of protest, "You don't have to do that, Lena, I'm sure you have better things to do than-"

"Kara, it's okay, I promise. I offered."

Lena's eyes speak of reassurance and warmth.

"Oh, okay. That would be amazing then. You're a lifesaver, Lena. And I won't be stay out late, I promise. Three, four hours tops. Oh, and don't let him eat. He's already eaten today, so if he's begging you for more food be brave and don't desist. And-"

"Go Kara," Lena tells her, "We've got this."

"Yes, thank you. Again. I owe you. Not only for the sugar, and now I really don't know what I can do to repay your kindness."

"Maybe a dinner sometimes? I wouldn't mind."

At the suggestion, Kara's heart misses a half beat, "Yeah, dinner. I could- I could do that."

Before leaving, Kara clears her throat, calling out softly one more time. "Lena?"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to ask you something," she begins, choppy and awkward as usual, "It's not a super important thing, so no pressure here. Feel free to, uh, to say no if you don't want to, but... Would you- if you aren't-"

Her phone's ringing interrupts again, a harsh toll of clarity. Kara sighs, losing her momentum. 

"And guess that's my cue. Think he'll go away if I'm too late?" She asks, while evading the curious tilt of Lena's eyes.

"If he'd begged so much to go out with you, then I'd doubt it."

"Well, it was worth a try. Thanks again, Lena! I'll see you soon."

"Have fun on your date, Kara."

"Fun, yes," she hesitates, shuffles on her feet, "I know I won't have too much fun, though."

She turns on her feet and somehow manages not to trip on air, despite the humming of her heart.

  
+++++

  
(She's dreading the date a little less now, knowing Lena will be waiting on her balcony for her with Streaky. So she decides to rush through her date, maybe feign some kind of headache, and politely refuse the kiss she's sure will come at the end of the evening. But when she finally - _finally_ \- opens the door to her apartment, Lena's balcony is silent and dark, while Streaky wiggles in his spot on the armchair. He flicks both of his ears in her direction and when she pets him, she notices he's carrying the distinct tone of Lena's perfume.)

  
+++++

  
Alex drags her out on her afternoon off for a last minute gift scouting. The city streets are crowded with drumming bodies, Christmas lights blinking in their eyes.

Kara inhales the feeling of festivities and euphoria buzzing in the air, shop windows laden with the glitz and glamour of Christmas. Alex tugs her wrist after she stops in front of the tenth bakery in the span of an hour to ogle at pastries and chocolate.

Kara offers a half smile to the back of Alex's head and lets her pull her along.

The tugging stops beneath the archway of a small bookshop, a corner of warmth and coziness tucked under a waterfall of yellow fairy lights.

"Gift for Eliza," Alex grunts.

And before Kara's cheeky smile can fully grow, Alex pushes past her inside the shop, leaving in her wake a clear jingle to signal her entrance.

The shop is quiet, noises muffled by the shifting of pages and dawdling of patrons. Only a few look out of place, uncertain movements accompanied by the nervous shuffling of those looking for a generic gift for Christmas. Some shelves are filled to the ceiling with books, thick tomes, bounded in soft looking leather or flashy hard plastic. Nestled in a corner, Kara spots a circle of cushioned chairs, a comfy spot for readers to linger and thumb their way through books. And the whole room basks in an earthy scent, a smell of wood and burning candles. It's the kind of scenery Kara expects to jump out from a movie, not a cranny dug between National City whirring gears. 

"Kara, stop daydreaming and start looking." Alex nudges her in a random direction, already chewing on her short nails.

She tunes out the humming background of National City and gets lost between the shelves.

She's lazily piling books in her arms for Alex to veto when a narrow copy catches her eyes. It's a green tome, a vibration of forest hues, decorated with a short title. The letters on its spine are gold. She squints at it for a few minutes, shifting the memories in her head to chase the nagging tickling of familiarity.

She dumps her books on a nearby shelf with a wince (she'll put those away on their shelves later, she promises) to rush to the counter. She catches the man standing behind the till with a polite smile, a trivial attempt to hide her rush.

He smiles at her over his striped button up, "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hello!" Kara exclaims with a smile, "I needed help with this. I saw this book and, you see, this book is... uh."

The words get stuck in her throat. What is she even supposed to say? Hi, my crush might be reading this book, but I don't actually know, because I stole a quick glance inside her apartment and since I'm so dumb I didn't use my supersight to read the title? And now I'm looking for a Christmas gift for her? But my best guess is based on a half baked assumption?

"Do you need help... reading?" the man's eyes shine kindly behind his rounded glasses, a clear attempt to break the tension in Kara's shoulders.

"Oh, no," Kara shakes herself out with a brief chuckle, "I need help with a gift." she tries again, clearing her throat with a curt cough.

"Do you want me to wrap that? Not to brag, but I can probably make the most neat bow you could ever see on a gift."

From his easy manners, Kara finds herself liking him immediately.

"Not quite. I am looking for a gift. For- for a person, a friend. She was reading this book - at least I think she was, I'm not completely sure - but I wanted to buy her something similar. Something she might enjoy. Is it weird? Maybe it's too creepy, I mean, it's not like we explicitly talked about this book, but I-"

She doesn't know how to explain the importance of this gift. How Lena's profile snuck in her life slowly, one cup of sugar at a time. The blush rising to her cheeks, the missteps in her speech as she fumbles her way through every conversation. She can't describe the dips in Lena's cheeks when she smiles, the slow unfurling of her chuckles and the light dancing in her eyes when she smiles. 

She doesn't know the words to describe the speeding of her heart or the thundering in her chest.

The kind shopkeeper puts a halt to her ramble with a reassuring smile, "It's not weird at all, I promise," he meets Kara's eyes with a grin, "Most people come in here armed only with a vague idea of what they want. Especially if they're looking for a gift. I'm here to help everyone."

"Oh, thank Ra- you, thank you," Kara sighs, grateful.

"So, can I see the book?"

  
++++++

  
(After twenty minutes of nodding along politely to the shopkeeper's passionate speech, Kara chooses what she hopes is a promising book, a historic tale about a woman caught between a marriage and an illicit affair. The shopkeeper nods as if she's made the best choice and Kara can only hope he doesn't offer the same simple reassurances to all the others gullible customers.

To wrap the book, she chooses a dark green paper and a silver ribbon.

And the kind shopkeeper does make a pretty neat bow.)

  
++++++

  
Kara recognizes the trail of mustard coloured wool over the grey layer of the coat.

"Lena!"

The woman startles for a moment before her face opens into a wide grin. Kara joins her as the number blinking over them slowly trickles down to zero.

"Hi!" Kara says, with more cheerfulness than one should embody after a four hour patrol, and Lena's smile tilt gently.

"What a coincidence, uh," Kara continues, gesturing at the space between them, "Meeting you here again."

"In the entrance hall of the building where I live?"

Kara blushes hard, setting what's probably a new record. She sputters, heart pounding away in embarrassment, "No, I mean, I – it's not – I mean, you–“

"But yes." Lena reaches between them, replicating the same movement with an empty hand, "Meeting you two days in a row while waiting for the elevator is quite the coincidence."

In that moment, the elevator announces its arrival with the usual pinging that Kara is slowly growing to hate. She bows with a flourish at Lena, presenting the door first and Lena complies to her theatrics with another barely hidden smile, entering the elevator first. Kara follows her inside with a skip in her step. The cabin wobbles beneath their feet.

The elevator starts its ascent with a whir, and something in Lena's bag clinks. Inspecting further, Kara realizes there are quite a few bottles of dark and swirling wine and amber scotch.

She dares an obvious guess, "Are you hosting a party, too?"

"Mmh?" Lena replies somewhat distractedly, bottom lip caught between chewing rows of teeth.

"With all that wine you have in there. Are you in charge of alcohol?" Kara says, motioning towards Lena's forearm.

"Ah!" Lena utters a yarn of surprise, "Yes, a party... at my apartment, with... with my friends."

There's a clink in Kara's chest, a quiet feeling that cracks in two. A slow unfurling of disappointment leaves a tangy taste in her mouth, originating from the foolish desire of Lena coming to her own Christmas party. On the other hand, she can't mask the gnawing jab to her side, an eager relief that feeds on the fear of an absolute refusal. What if Lena hadn't wanted to come in the first place? The lost opportunity pushes a needle of comfort beneath the hollow of her ribs.

"And family?"

Lena lets her gaze finally meets Kara's with a sluggish tilt of her head.

"Of course, my family, too," there's an edge to her tone, something that smooths and opaques feelings, "My brother will probably be running late, as usual. But hopefully this time my mother won't arrive too early."

"Hopefully?" Kara catches the green tail of Lena's swimming pupils.

"We don't actually see eye to eye, me and my mother. My _adopted_ mother," Lena shifts on her feet with a wince, mouthing few words she doesn't end up saying, "Holidays are just another feeble argument of discussion for us."

Kara ponders the slouch of her shoulders in silence. The weird note in Lena's voice bothers her, but she can't name the twisting feeling in her belly.

"But I digress. We shouldn't linger on such dull topics," Lena hastens to add, shaking herself out of the rough reverie, "How about you? Everything ready for your Christmas party?"

“Oh!” Kara replies, her brain still struggling to keep up with the rapid whiplash of feelings. “Yes! Everything is ready!“

"Everything? Even sugar?" Lena muses and Kara relaxes at the reappearance of the familiar quirk ringing in her tone.

She shrugs good-naturedly, "If I'd ever need some, I know I can always ask you."

They disembark the wobbly lift shortly after and Lena lingers in front of her apartment to face Kara. The smile she offers is chipped and terse.

"Well, I hope you have a wonderful time, then."

"You too, Lena. And merry Christmas." Kara adds.

Her focus gets lost in the shift of Lena's jaw, a small clue of her biting the inside of her cheek.

The urge to kiss her pushes unbridled against the cavity in her chest.

"Merry Christmas, Kara," Lena offers, still choppy and blinking.

Waving excitedly, Kara drifts away from Lena in a broken gait, down the carpeted pavement of the hallway. Her thoughts are tangled in kisses and sugar.

  
+++++

  
Kara downs the third glass of soda as Winn obliterates the last of James' life in a fast paced video game on her cramped television.  
  
Winn and James had been the first two to show up at her door together, even wearing matching sweaters for the occasion. Knitted wool donned by a grinning sheep, the animal surrounded by Christmas lights. Knowing their sense of humor, Kara muses if there might be some kind of hidden joke entwined between the seams.

She even bought a new sweater herself to match theirs, a smiling reindeer with a big red pom-pom for a nose. She had fallen in love with it from the first moment, the fuzziness of its nose tickling the pads of her fingers. 

She wonders if Lena is wearing a similar sweater right now or something classier, grin hiding behind the rim of a champagne glass.

Shaking her head, Kara dusts at some invisible linen on her lap to avoid the pointed stare Alex sends in her direction over the neck of a beer bottle. 

The party is in full blast around her, the quiet cozy atmosphere of friends and family painting the air. She can feel the traces of Eliza's motherly hug, as well as the joyful grin from Winn as he sneakily set up the karaoke station, waiting for a tipsy Alex to fall in his musical trap. James is always an amicable conversator, trusty camera hanging around his neck to capture memories and moments, as he discusses the last events of the city with Maggie, who's attending the party as Alex's not so mysterious girlfriend. To Alex's growing displeasure, the petite detective hadn't escape Eliza's interested round of questions, a variety of embarrassing mementos and promises.

Even J'onn has taken some time off to celebrate with them, swapping his usual short sleeved black button up for a long sleeved button up. Curled under him, Streaky meows insistently to gain his attention, while pointing at the door leading to her balcony at the same time. But as soon as J'onn unlatches the door for him, Streaky ruffles his fur, disregarding the menacing blast of cold hair. He ventures back inside, leaving behind a mildly amused J'onn.

Despite the happiness lingering in her bones, Kara 's mouth turns the half munched cookie in her hand into a grainy feeling of displeasure.

As Alex glares deepens, Kara nudges Eliza in Maggie's direction once again, not above condemning her sister to another round of embarrassing motherly memories.

There's a smudged corner at the edge of her glasses, and Kara pushes the ends of her woolen sleeve over her thumb to clean it. However, the result is less than stellar, as she manages to smudge the dirt further around her lens.

"Stop brooding," Alex nudges her in the side as she sidles up to her silently.

"I'm not brooding," Kara argues back halfheartedly.

Alex stares at her with a weird look as she takes a sip of her drink, "I can see your crinkle."

Kara lifts a finger to her forehead, pressing into the traitorous spot, "No you can't." she pouts.

Alex raises an unimpressed brow at her, choosing to ignore her childish behaviour, "I know that look. You're still thinking about your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Kara mutters, but even to her own ears it feels like a weak excuse, "And she said she had other plans. She's hosting another party in her own apartment."

Alex frowns at her, coming up empty when she dives for another reassurance, "Well, there's always next time? You could always chalk it up to sugar again, right?"

Kara keeps quiet, eyes crossing over the messy spot of dirt in her line of vision, "I'm sorry, I don't want to be such a spoilsport. I should be feeling happy with you guys all here, and Eliza and J'onn and... I'm sorry."

"Hey," Alex lays a careful hand on her shoulder, tucking herself closer to her, "It's okay. I know you don't love or appreciate us any less for it. I understand," Alex continues as they both turns to the other sofa, where Maggie is seated next to Eliza, matching smiles gracing both their features.

At the sight, Kara feels more than sees Alex growing soft next to her, a pliant mush of affection. When Eliza fishes her phone from her jacket, a sudden look of alarm crosses Alex's face.

Kara chuckles, "You should go before she pulls out the 'Daughters' gallery. I'm not completely sure she had deleted your goth phase pictures. Your fake nose piercings, too."

Alex snorts and knocks Kara's skull with hers a last time before unfolding her legs.

"I swear, she only keeps that folder for these kind of embarrassing situations."

  
+++++

  
It can't hurt if she does it only once, right?

The thought strikes her in the middle of a startled laugh as Winn is recalling his last work mishap (she chokes on her cookie, from an half empty tray she's currently devouring now that they have stopped tasting like grainy sand).

It's not like she'd make a habit of it. She just need this, once. She pinky promises.

And once she knows Lena is happy and laughing, surrounded by family and friends, Kara will absolutely feel better and concentrate again on her own party. She'll be at ease, at least.

Alex uncorks a bottle of wine with a loud pop, making everyone in the room cheer. Even J'onn explodes in a heartfelt laughter at the festive mood.

But it's wrong.

It's so wrong. If it were her, she wouldn't want anyone else to do it. Not that there could be somebody else who could attempt something like this, but the thought remains.

Eliza is in the middle of dishing out portions of her famous meat pie when Kara excuses herself from the table to hide in her bathroom for a moment. Hiding with her there's Streaky, tangled in the plastic waves of her shower curtain. 

She finds herself sighing deeply as she stands in front of the sink, staring at her telling crinkle in the middle of her forehead. She squints some hand soap on her palm, looking for a distraction, and she aggressively washes her hands. In the reflection, she can see the uneven line of Lena's shoulder, the harsh click of her jaw. A prickle of worry travels down her spine.

Streaky purrs as she kneels to scratch the spot behind his ear.

"What do you say, Streaky. Can I look once? Just this once?"

Streaky blinks languidly up at her, eyes wide and soulful. He mewls quietly, pawing at her.

"You're right. I'll take a look, see her happy, and then I can go back to enjoying this evening," she assures herself quietly, "Okay."

She angles her body awkwardly in the room, positioning until she's facing the angle of her towel cabinet. With another solemn nod, she shrugs off the thick frame of her glasses, folding them neatly on the edge of the sink.

Her sight travels behind the rising steam of the oven, past the blinking fairy lights strung across the decorated Christmas tree. It breaches through layers of concrete and bricks, until it focuses on the image of Lena's living room.

And Lena, who is... sitting alone in her living room. 

Legs folded under her, mismatched socks.

Seated at her sofa and typing at a black sleek laptop. There's a Christmas movie scrolling in the background, but no sign of other guests. There's a half drunk wine glass on the coffee table, cushioned by an elegant cup holder. And shimmering waves of tinsel and spinning baubel. A snow globe, upturned on the side. A lone takeout container on the counter.

There's no one else in Lena's apartment.

Streaky wiggles suddenly to ease himself into her stunned grip as a something akin to despair pools in her belly.

  
+++++

  
Kara falters, shuffling on her feet. The nose of her reindeer sweater doesn't bring any comfort to her troubled mind. She spends a long time debating wherever to go back to her apartment and change into something... less festive.

She chews on her nails, feeling devoid of the usual anticipation and excitement as she stares down at Lena's familiar door.

She's not even wearing shoes, just her comfiest slippers. She's afraid to inspect herself for any residual glitter from the plastic tinsel.

After explaining the situation to her confused sister, Alex had relinquished Streaky from her loose hold and pushed her out of the door and towards Lena's apartment, fueling the weak tendrils of her courage.

Armed with the best of intentions, Kara gathers her breath and pushes her thumb on the doorbell. Even the ringing sounds off to her ears, an awkward splutter of her hesitant finger.

She keeps her eyes firmly glued on the panels of the door, feeling the spires of shame growing in her belly.

"Coming!" the clenching feeling in Kara's chest worsens as she hears Lena's opaqued voice coming from the other side of the door.

Lena answers with a smile, dressed up as stylishly as usual. She's donning a pair of tight dark jeans, and the colour of her eyes is accentuated by the vibrancy of the myrtle green of her blouse. 

"Kara!" the crinkle in Lena's eyes is familiar, "I thought you were hosting a party."

Lena's voice is chipper and melodic, even as Kara keeps looking for the faltering note underneath.

"Yeah, I am, actually. I just wanted to- to ask you something. Real quick."

"Let me guess, you ran out of sugar," Lena interrupts and there's a sparkle in the shifting light of her eyes. One pupil looks greener than the other, "Let me just grab one cup for you-"

"No, Lena. It's not that, I-"

"Oh," the misstep in her tone is almost imperceptible, as Lena muses another explanation, "We're not being too loud, are we? With the music and the movie, I can ask them to tone it down if you-"

"No, no. The noise isn't a problem. Lena, it's... it's because-"

The words die as Kara struggles with uncomfortable heat. Her eyes flashes everywhere as not to cross Lena's eyes.

"Kara, what-" Lena echoes, eyebrows arched inquisitively, "Are you-"

"I know nobody showed up at your party!"

Kara feels immediately the shift in Lena's body, as she rushes into a frenzy, heart half missing a beat. She hears a choked breath getting trapped in Lena's throat. The speeding heartbeat. The tightening of her lips.

"Oh."

Kara chews on her nail anxiously, "I'm sorry, Lena. I'm so, so, sorry. I didn't have any rights to spy on you like that, but I- I..."

Kara releases a slow, drawn out breath, forcibly pushing the air from her lungs until there's nothing left, and drops her chin to her chest, still not meeting Lena's eyes.

In a flashing moment, a thousand things cross Lena’s expression. There's a new hesitance in her features, a harsh line so sudden that leaves Kara reeling. Her eyes flutter over Kara's frown before speaking again. 

The smallest sigh ripples the air, "Come inside, Kara." Lena says, voice dry and taut, moving aside to let her in. Kara follows, soul resigned.

She waits for Lena to shut the door before venturing further inside, eyes trailing over corners and walls. She would lie if she said she never imagined entering Lena's apartment. The moment their easy sugar themed banter would finally evolve into a friendship of sorts.

Now, as she finally breaches this insurmountable barrier, she's tiptoeing along the edges, movements muted by her own sour feelings of shame and... She can't even start to think about looking around for a cat.

Kara sits quietly on the sofa as Lena turns off the television, halting the ending scene of a generic Hallmark Christmas movie. In the next fluid move, she shuts her laptop closed, but Kara is still able to catch an unfinished draft for an email on the screen. Lastly, Lena comes to a halt on the same sofa, leaving at least a feet of emptiness pulsing between them.

Kara follows each of her movements with a quiet reverence in her gaze. But she can't ignore the choke in her breath as Lena settles further in her cushions.

"I'm sorry, Lena. I should have never _never_ intruded on your privacy like that. That was deeply wrong of me. But when I saw you were here alone and, and-"

"I'm not mad. I promise, Kara," Lena says, an even and poised pond of words, "You did nothing wrong. I know you came here with the right intentions. Though I wonder how you did actually realize I was lying, earlier in the elevator..."

"Lena..."

"Was it my tone? Was I not convincing enough?"

Kara's protests are lost in Lena's rueful chuckle, too forced to sound casual.

"It's not that nobody showed up to my party, Kara. There was never a party to begin with," Lena pauses, closes her eyes, as if she fears Kara's reaction at her following words, "It's that there's no one for me to celebrate with."

Kara can’t stop watching how her throat moves as she keeps awkwardly swallowing back words and emotions. But Lena simply leaves it like that, lurching from the unexpected revelation. 

"What do you mean?" Kara finally whispers.

She had always imagined a big family behind Lena's smart dresses and easy smiles. Behind the crinkling of her laughter, the flutter of her eyelids. Friends, equally classy and dashing like Lena herself, important figures jumping directly from the covers of the latest magazines. She had always thought Lena had people who loved and cherished her, like her. 

"Lena, what do you mean?"

Lena's smile is slanted, tight, "I mean there's no one else, Kara. I have no one to celebrate with. My family is either buried underground or wishing I was the one three feet under. Not sure I'd trust their gifts not to be of the explosive kind," she pauses to pick up her half finished glass of wine, "I don't have any friends either, nor here in National City, nor anywhere else. Most people wouldn't touch a Luthor with a ten-foot pole. So I'm forced to spend my holidays here, nursing half finished glasses of alcohol and lying to my kindest neighbour."

Kara's mouth opens and closes a couple of times before she settles on a genuine feeling.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

"What for? It's not like it's your fault. I got used to it."

Kara picks up a cushion, fluffing it with her hands to distract herself from the prickling in her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me anything?"

"About the non existent guests?" Lena shrugs, while surprisingly blushing a little, "I was... embarrassed. You were so excited about your own Christmas festivities that I... don't know. I didn't want to appear lame in front of you. And when you suggested the idea of me being in charge of alcohol I just went along with it. I couldn't have imagined you would pick up of my lying so quickly. What was it that gave me away?"

Kara rubs the back of her neck as she avoids Lena's stare pointedly. There should be only one secret per conversation, so she reserves hers for a better time, "It was, uuh, your... tone... yes, your tone. You sounded so unsure."

Lena downs the last of her wine with a knowing grin but makes no further move to refill her glass. She leans back with a weary sigh, folding her legs under her. Kara imitates her, leaning back while leaving her feet carefully planted on the floor.

She gathers the quietness of the moment to take a look around, taking in Lena's living room fully for the first time. She's assaulted by colours and decorations from all corners. It's like every inch of the apartment is covered in pine trees and glitter, from the tall Christmas tree to the pinned rows of tinsel and wreath. There's a waterfall of fairy lights over the fireplace where each bulb flickers on and off at random intervals. 

In a corner, she spots a curious assemble of chemical equipment, phials of different sizes balanced carefully on twisted wires of metal. Kara squints at the construction for a long minute before realization strikes her like thunder.

"It's a... Christmas _chemis-tree_ ," the words fall unbridled from her mouth before she can even think them.

Lena’s eyes flutter open as she laughs. Despite everything, Kara is comforted by the fact that Lena can still find a reason to laugh.

"I'm sorry, it just hit me."

"Don't apologize, Kara, I think it's funny, too." Lena draws a steadying breath, locks onto Kara's eyes with a burning intensity, the green of her pupils burning like comets. Kara's cheeks turn pink and her body becomes more awkward than usual, like she doesn’t know how to control her own limbs. Hopefully she won't break anything too classy.

"I see you..." she clears her throat awkwardly, hoping for a shift in the air, "I see, uh, you went all out with the decorations."

"Oh," Lena shrewdly adds as she blinks up at her decorations as if it's the first time she sees them, "I guess I did."

She stretches her fingers over her head, reaching for a too far star ornament, "They must seem a little stupid to you. All these just for me... if not stupid, at least pointless."

Kara considers Lena's offhand comment, weighs the next words carefully. She follows the tips of Lena's perfectly manicured fingers to the crooked golden star and sees a shifting difference between their colours. She can perfectly imagine Lena huffing on the top of a ladder, scotch tape clenched between her teeth as she figures in her head the best disposition for all her ornaments.

Then she pictures Lena alone in her apartment, with no one to show the fruit of her decorating, no one to share the festive spirit, a smile, a cheer, a joke.

Kara lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug. She looks down, aside, then back at Lena. "No. Not at all."

Kara feels woozy, maybe on the underside of drunk, even though she didn't touch any drinks at her own party. She screws up her courage for the last time to prepare a question, one she should have already asked.

"Would you like to come to my apartment for some late Christmas cheer?"

  
++++

  
Kara introduces Lena to all her guests, once at a time as not to overwhelm her.

Winn and James are charming enough in their ridiculous bromance. They offer pleasant smiles and polite conversations and Kara deems the encounter as a success when Lena finally chuckles at their matching Christmas sweaters.

Lena greets J'onn with a hard swallow, meeting him mid way for a simple but firm handshake. There's a tendril of recognition traveling through Lena's profile, one that doesn't help to put her at ease in Kara's apartment. But Kara ticks off her nervousness when J'onn nods genially over Lena's shoulders, something of a smile on his features. 

A brief smile flits across Lena's face before she can compose herself, face quickly moulding into a mask of blank politeness while she holds her hand out to Eliza, who, in typical Danvers fashion, foregoes the gesture for a short hug.

The best meeting is probably with Streaky, who resurfaces from his hiding spot under the sofa to wind around Lena's legs. He melts into a content purr as Lena kneels to scratch the spot he loves behind his ears.

But when Kara introduces Lena to Maggie and Alex - the last two guests to her party - the rise of Alex's eyebrows is alarmingly surprised. After the required minutes reserved for a general introduction, Kara feels her sister winding an arm around her elbow without notice.

"Excuse us as we head for a minute in the kitchen, we just need more... candy canes." Alex declares, blatantly dragging Kara along. On her part, Kara simply offers a tentative smile to the mildly panicked tilt of Lena's brow over the rim of a hot chocolate, while she pointedly avoids Maggie's smug smirk.

Alex drops her in front of the fridge as soon as they stop.

"What the hell, Kara?" she announces with a dramatic flourish, "When did you plan to tell me your neighbour is Lena _fucking_ Luthor?"

Kara adjusts her glasses and gapes helplessly at her, hands moving in circles.

Alex's eyebrows rise higher, "You had a crush on _Lena Luthor_ this whole time?"

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" the name doesn't register inside Kara's brain. But apparently it does in Alex's, who's flailing around the kitchen, dumbstruck by the news. As Alex's meltdown somewhat cools down, Kara half notices she can't bring herself to deny her crush on Lena anymore.

"What kind of reporter are you?"

Kara's meek correction of 'Assistant' gets swallowed by the disbelief of Alex's rebuttal, "She's- like, the most brilliant and accomplished woman. CEO of two Fortune 500 companies, and she's only 27! I don't even know how many degrees and PhDs she has combined. You know L-Corp, right? Well, Lena has single-handedly dragged her company out of the mess her brother - who is Lex Luthor, may I add - had left it. Half of her paycheck is donated yearly to charity organizations and-"

Kara's heart swells further, as she ducks in a cabinet to look for more candies. 

"I already knew she's a good person, Alex, I don't need you to tell me that," she hopes her voice comes out lighter than she feels.

She can't understand how a soul as bright as Lena can spend the holidays alone, shunned by her own family. 

She has already made up her mind on what to do.

She tucks herself closer to Alex, clinging to a couple of clammy candy canes. “I know,” Kara repeats, wiping the dampness in her eyes to blink owlishly at her big sister. 

Alex settles back on her feet to smile back, “You chose yourself a good one, dummy.” Alex clunks their foreheads together, “Tell her to get ready for my shovel talk.”

Kara offers a gummy smile, rejoicing in the pebble of warmth locked in her chest at her sister's words.

Inhaling deeply, she ventures back in her living room, feeling lighter and elated. She finds Lena in the middle of a scientific debate about the finest point of electromagnetic transmission with Winn and she swoops in to steal her away from him without waiting. She smirks at Winn's frown and probably imagines Lena leaning closer to her side with another loose chuckle.

"So," she begins, offering a brightly coloured candy cane, "My sister told me you're a CEO. Not quite the 'I work in tech' job I expected."

Lena's face scrunches in amusement as she accepts the candy cane to dip into her hot chocolate, "I see you've discovered my most dangerous secret."

Her eyes are practically twinkling, face animated and expressive. It's a far call from the tight collection of sadness from before, and Kara's heart soars at the knowledge of being a part of Lena's mirth.

"I did wonder if you could recognize me, being a reporter and all."

Kara sneers. "Assistant! Assistant, I remember," Lena intercepts her with a chuckle, "But I think we could make a reporter out of you despite this, with your keen eye and impressive memory."

Kara doesn't add anything, and instead grabs Lena's wrist, brushing her thumb on the inside of her palm. Standing in the middle of the living room, surrounded by friends and family, she sways a bit to the music, pulling Lena along to her awkward shuffling.

Lena laughs at her sudden silliness. A candid bright tone that rings pleasantly in the festive atmosphere.

Kara's smile softens even more, slivers of star fragments in her eyes.

  
+++++

  
(Lena keeps laughing and laughing, until her laughter cracks into an unrefined snort. She blushes immediately, rushing to cover her mouth with her palm, eyes wide.

It's the cutest thing Kara has ever heard.)

  
+++++  


The evening drawls warmly forward and Kara sees how the party grows easier around Lena's chipped figure.

She swaps her hot chocolate for a steaming cup of tea and doesn't hide in the corners of the sofa anymore, but openly challenges Winn in a two player video game behind Kara's screen.

She accepts Maggie's gentle teasing with grins and pink ears, surprisingly matching the detective head on with her own easy banter. At the end of the night, Kara can't tell if Maggie is more impressed by Lena's cutting glare or her ability to withstand a surprising amount of alcohol in a single sitting, as she learns from swapped anecdotes.

Soon enough, the clock on the wall chimes eleven times and everybody ceases their activities in unison. They huddle together around the Christmas tree, each claiming a blanket or a spot on the floor. Lena shuffles awkwardly on her feet, thrown off balance by the sudden shift, so she settles in a corner, as far as possible from the other without coming off as rude. But before Kara can pat the place next to her, Eliza motions for Lena to get closer, guiding her to Kara's own side. As Lena clumsily sits down, Kara tugs one corner of her blanket over her lap.

She can feel her thrumming with nervous energy, but Lena's smile is deep and wide as she observes the others around her swapping gifts. Kara crosses her gaze to offer a bashful grin, which makes Lena's smile widen further, until her dimples are peeking. The white of her teeth is on full display.

"I have something for you, Lena."

Lena's hands are full of surprise as she accepts Kara's gift with an awe to her profile. She caresses the wrapped package carefully, as if she is ill equipped to handle something as innocuous as a Christmas gift.

The image is dorkily cute and Kara grips to the feeling to banish the lingering sadness that comes with the idea.

A sheepish grin stumbles over Lena's mouth as she takes her time to fiddle with the pretty silver bow, "I have something for you, too," she confesses, extracting a thin squared gift from behind her back.

"Do you want to open yours first?" Kara asks, voice rising over Winn's cheer as he open the gift James got him.

With a nod, Lena's nimble hands make quick work of the wrapping, neatly folding the paper on the side. The bow gives easily as she uncovers the stiff cover of a simple book.

"I didn't actually know what to get you, but I noticed you're like, the most voracious reader there could ever be. There's always a new title every time I knock on your door. So I thought, how about a book? As a gift?" she rambles, "And there was this super helpful guy, uh, at the bookshop. He suggested me this title and I... went along with it. I wasn't sure, but then I thought 'Worse she could do, she never reads it'. Or maybe she has already read it. And... oh, have you read this? Rao, is there any book you haven't read? Have you read everything? Do you-"

"Kara, breathe," Lena's tone is quiet, but there's a fondness she can't mask, "I love it. And I haven't read this book nor I haven't read every book existing on this Earth."

Kara blinks for a moment, brain thrown in a loop at the casualness behind the word 'love'.

"Thank you," Lena says, knees fidgeting under the blanket, "Now open yours?"

It takes all her willpower not to tear through the wrapping paper, remembering the neat way Lena unwrapped hers.

Her gift turns out to be a thick folder of pages, strung together by a looping red string, to make up for the absent spine. Each paper has a dotted line where she's supposed to tear each one from the spine.

The words 'Shopping list' tower over each strip and underneath, in loopy and sleek cursive, there's a single underlined word.

Sugar.

Lena fidgets at Kara's silence, "It's supposed to be a joke. I wrote sugar on each page, so you won't forget it every time you go out for grocery-"

Kara interrupts Lena's own ramble by exploding into a belly chuckle, the kind of laughter that shakes her shoulders and leaves her cheeks pink from mirth. She struggles to suppress the temptation to bite the inside of her cheek to keep her joy inside.

"I have a confession to make, Lena," she sniffles, still hiccuping.

Lena pulls a confused face.

"I kept forgetting to buy sugar on purpose, so I would have a reason to knock on your door at least twice a week. Even when I didn't need it, I could still show up to your door and simply ask," Kara says, "Except, uh, the first time. I did forget to buy sugar, that time."

From the corner of her eye, Kara sees Eliza unwrapping the gift from Alex, a thick book with yellowed pages.

"Kara..."

Kara blushes, chews her lips for a second, then feels Lena laughing against her shoulder.

"I did the same," comes Lena's muffled voice.

"Umh, you forgot to buy sugar?"

"No!" Lena chuckles, tipping her head back, "I bought refined sugar for when you came knocking on my door. I actually use whole cane sugar for my coffee."

Kara inhales sharply, gaping for a moment, "You what?"

Lena snorts again, “I guess we’re pretty ridiculous. Making up excuses to talk to each other.”

That gets a surprise laugh from Kara, “That’s what Alex said, too.”

And Lena laughs harder until she snorts. After a beat, she settles down again, and Kara tucks her closer to her side.

"Merry Christmas, Lena."

"Merry Christmas, Kara."


	2. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short epilogue.

  
Their friendship moves along quite smoothly.

Kara drags her outside her office, where Lena had secretly planned to spend most of her Christmas holidays cooped up with paperworks and a glass of scotch, to the joy of her secretary. Bundled up against the cold, Lena braves the throes of winter for a cup of hot chocolate - she's slowly becoming partial to peppermint candy canes to go with her chocolate, no thanks to Kara - or a mindless stroll in an empty park. For some reason, Kara is warm as a furnace and Lena will take any excuse to snuggle closer to her.

They talk to each other from the respective balconies, each snuggled under their own blanket. Streaky closes the gap between the balconies with a single jump, seeking attention and cuddles.

For the first time in years, Lena lets herself enjoy the Christmas festivities, relaxing and spending time with Kara. (She's still sneaking home blueprints for components that needs to be reworked and emails she needs to answer, much to Kara's displeasure.)

A week moves along swiftly, punctuated by a waterfall of text messages from Kara at random hours, alongside with lengthy compilations of cute cat videos. She doesn't realize that the new year is slowly coming closer until she receives a text message from Kara.

_are you busy on new year's eve?_

_:)_

Lena can't even remember the last time she did something to celebrate the new year. She told herself to be a pointless thing, to celebrate for. Another year, so what? Another year she gets to spend alone.

Every time she falls back on those darker pattern, Lena recalls the warmth of Kara's smile. She basks in the wonderful surprise at the notion of Kara being her friend.

She forces herself to school her expression. It's like she reverted back to a giddy teenager.

_Does working on a new project counts?_

_lenaaaaaa_  
_you know it's forbidden to work on the last day of the year_

_Oh, is it? I didn't know._

_yes, it's the law, you can't work_  
_except if you are a doctor_  
_but you are not a doctor so you can't_

_I have two PhDs and those make me double the doctor. So I can work._

_lenaaaaa_

Lena can feel Kara's groan reverberating through her chest .

_come to my house_  
_only if you want_  
_i dont want to force you_  
_but i would really like if youd come_

Gripping at the lighted screen of her phone, Lena lets loose the chuckle that's surging from her chest.

_I'd love to_

_< 3_

Lena had never imagined two simple digits could make her heart race like this.

  
+++++

  
Everyone cheers when Kara lets Lena inside, armed with the most expensive bottles she could raid from the shelf of a grocery store (She can't help but grin when Alex fetches those immediately).

Kara's charming as usual and Lena can't resist the pull of her smile.

(Her hand feels so warm from where it rests on her lower back)

She launches into an animated discussion with Winn about the finest point of the Star Wars lore, settling comfortably in Kara's loose hold.

(Maybe if she stays still, she'll never let go.)

She cheers with the others as James opens the first bottle of wine of the evening, laughing at Kara's loud hoot.

(It's slowly becoming one of her favourite melodies.)

  
++++++

  
Maggie tugs her arm with a knowing grin, one that Lena has learnt to fear from the petite detective. She's a little tipsy from all the wine, but drunk exclusively on happiness and coziness.

Maggie deposits her under the archway of the kitchen door, choosing the spot possibly at random. Lena blinks as Maggie scutters away immediately with a wink.

Her questions are answered when Kara resurfaces from the kitchen, empty handed. Her eyes are crinkling as she sees her, offering one of her brightest smiles, which dies a little when she looks up sharply, over Lena's head. She blushes.

Curious, Lena follows her gaze, craning her neck backwards.

_Oh._

Kara fiddles with her glasses and Lena can't help but notice how her blush dips lower than the neckline of her sweater. The idea is enough to make her ears burn.

"I thought mistletoe was more of a Christmas thing."

"Yeah," Kara replies, words slow and thick with blushing, "I've fallen a little behind with redecorating this year."

"I like it. It's festive." Lena shrugs with one shoulder, inching even closer to Kara under the doorway, "You know your sister has been trying all evening to push us under this mistletoe?"

"Yeah... I noticed. She's not exactly subtle for being a detective."

"A detective?" Lena mocks with a low whistle, "I definitely befriended the wrong Danvers, then."

Kara's smile widens, taking the mocking in stride, "You do realize she's not single, right?"

"Yeah, I met Maggie. We bonded over chips bowls. She's nice."

"She is. I'm really happy Alex found her."

"Well, do let me know if they ever break up."

Kara laughs delightfully and Lena gathers all her courage, edging for a nonchalant approach.

"So, are you gonna spend all our time under this mistletoe talking about your sister, or are you going to kiss me, Miss Danvers?"

It doesn't seem possible, but somehow Kara's face gets even redder. Nevertheless, she leans down, an inch or two closer.

"Oh," Kara's mouth opens, rounded in surprise, "Your eyes..."

"Yeah?" Lena swallows thickly around the word. This close, she can trace every ridge of Kara's blue pupils.

"They are two different... greens. I thought it was a trick of the light. I didn't know you had... heterochromia."

"Mmh."

"Lena-"

The conversation dwindles to nothing as Lena lowers her gaze to Kara's lips. She feels both of them leaning in slowly, watching each other carefully for any sign of refusal or discomfort. Lena's eyes flutter closed, as she focuses on Kara's panting breath on her upper lip. 

At the last shaking moment, Kara veers to the side, her lips planting a quick kiss on Lena's cheek.

"Oh," comes Lena's stunned reply. She's not complaining, but she can't hide the burning disappointment for expecting something... more. 

The sliver of gold in Kara's eyes swirls.

"Kara," with a jerk, Lena leans back from her touch, "I'm sorry, I thought you... you..."

Kara watches as Lena lifts one hand to her cheek, covering the spot her lips touched moments ago.

"I do, Lena, believe me. I do want this," Kara shifts nervously, "Just ask Alex to tell you for how long I talked her ear off about you. I just... I sort of imagined our first kiss to be a little different? Definitely not standing in the middle of my living room with all our friends subtly spying on us to see who wins a silly bet?"

Said friends shift inconspicuously around a weird chorus of mutters and mumbling. There's an embarrassed cough, probably from Alex.

"They did bet on us."

"Will you go on a date with me, Lena?"

Lena fumbles on her feet, but Kara is there to hold her uptight. She holds her breath for a moment, then smiles. She laughs like the galloping breeze through the rustling winds.

"I'd love to." 

"Really?," Kara's face opens into a smile of her own, thoughts muddled with images of the little bookshop where she could take Lena for theirs first date. (And then dinner at Noonan's. Star gazing over a chequered blanket, skating at the ice rink in the park, drinking hotchocolate, snugglingunderthesameblanket-)

"If I remember correctly, you still owe me a dinner." Lena leans in and kisses the side of her mouth, an inch left of Kara's inviting lips. 

Kara smiles dopily, answer swallowed by woozy happiness. An eyebrow kicks up and Lena's smile crooks dangerously, "So you imagined our first kiss, uh?"

And like the first time Lena had raised her eyebrow at her, Kara's cheeks turn to a delicious shade of red. Lena's heart skips another beat.

+++++

(Alex teases her for the rest of the night. But Kara can't bring herself to be annoyed when she looks at her reflection in the mirror. There's a smudged stain of red lipstick on her left cheek.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.  
> Again, Merry Christmas! :)


End file.
